Saturday, March 31, 2012

Looking for Henry's Elfin - Finding Olive Hairstreak

I was looking for something and I found something, so I
guess I was somewhat successful.My
search was for an uncommon small brown butterfly known as Henry’s Elfin.Henry’s Elfin lays its eggs among the blooms
of the Redbud, so the best time to see them is at the peak of the Redbud
blooming season which happens to be right now.I managed to see several small butterflies on the Redbud flowers, but
they were all Olive Hairstreaks as shown in the photo. Olive Hairstreaks are also an uncommon
species, so even though they weren’t my desired find, I was happy to see them.

Several factors increased the difficulty of my search.One was the sheer volume of Redbud
blooms.Every branch of every Redbud
tree is crowded with flowers, so the butterflies could be anywhere.This abundance may result in a larger than
average Henry’s Elfin population next year.

Most of that profusion of Redbud blooms is above my
head.I’ve seen several small
butterflies moving in the tree tops.Unfortunately, I can’t confirm any of those as being Henry’s Elfin.The Olive Hairstreak may display some bright
colors on its lower wing surface, but the upper surface is brown.In flight, especially when viewed against a
bright sky, the Olive Hairstreak looks brown, so I may have been seeing more of
that species.

Butterflies were far outnumbered by foraging
Bumblebees.It’s easy for a small
butterfly to go unnoticed among the ever moving Bumblebee traffic.

The other consideration is the fact that I’ve never before
seen a Henry’s Elfin adult on a Redbud.I know adults have been there, because I’ve found larvae on
Redbuds.Every Henry’s Elfin I’ve ever
found has been resting on the dead stalks of tall Prairie Grasses. In an effort
to help the Henry’s Elfin population, I favor Redbuds in my management efforts
and maintain that tree in large sections of the field edges.

I can’t help thinking that there’s some connection between
the Henry’s Elfin and the Xeric Limestone Prairie found at Blue Jay Barrens.For that reason, I maintain some Redbuds out
in the Indian Grass fields.I don’t know
if that helps, but the Henry’s Elfins are very plentiful in some years.

I’ll keep looking for the Henry’s Elfin.It may be that they have not yet emerged.In the mean time, I’ll enjoy the Olive
Hairstreaks.If you believe my search is
doomed to failure, you can go back to an earlier post to get a look at a
Henry’s Elfin.

ABOUT BLUE JAY BARRENS

Located in the Bluegrass region of Southern Ohio, Blue Jay Barrens contains excellent xeric habitat inhabited by a wide variety of rare native plant and animal species. Since 1985, this private property has been managed to improve the integrity of the special ecosystems found here. This blog provides information on the current activities at Blue Jay Barrens.

RESPONSE TO COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS BLOG

It’s my intent to share information on current events at Blue Jay Barrens. Unless otherwise noted in the text, all photos were taken by me at Blue Jay Barrens.

Plant scientific names are from Gleason and Cronquist 1991. I realize that some changes in preferred nomenclature have occurred, but this is the principle reference I have been using for flora identification. Knowing this, I believe most people can figure out just what plant I’m talking about.

My discussions of flora and fauna are not intended to be a complete life history. There are plenty of good references for this type of information. I am discussing my personal experiences with plants and animals on this specific property. Any other information I may provide is intended to help you understand the significance of my observations.

MY 3 FAVORITE NATURE BOOKS:

1- Of Mosquitoes, Moths and Mice, by C Brooke Worth.2- Mosquito Safari: A Naturalist in Southern Africa, by C Brooke Worth.3- A Naturalist in Trinidad, by C Brooke Worth.

MY 3 FAVORITE FICTION BOOKS:

1- The Witches of Karres by James H Schmitz2- The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham3- The Windhover Tapes (1st 3 volumes) by Warren Norwood

MY 3 FAVORITE MOVIES:

1- Vanishing Point 1971 with Barry Newman2- Flim Flam Man 1967 with George C Scott - also like the book by Guy Owens3- The Lathe Of Heaven 1979 with Bruce Davison - also like the book by Ursula K LeGuin

MY 3 FAVORITE TV SHOWS:

1- The Prisoner with Patrick McGoohan2- Fawlty Towers with John Cleese3- Kolchak: The Night Stalker with Darren McGavin